Street Fighter 4: Brothers
by Busterwolf1176
Summary: For Ryu and Ken, training begins, while Ken must face a cold revelation. Special thank you to everyone who took time to read and review. This is my first fan fic and I'm taking it seriously. Thanks for giving me a little time.
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful summer day out, a comfortable, breezy seventy degrees with a bright sun as his constant companion, far above him and behind him. Even as he walked he allowed himself a smile; he hadn't seen many days like this, and if his instincts were right, he might not see one again.

But Ken had been right; he had been away too long.

Dressed casually in a white T-shirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes, and his familiar headband, Ryu almost instinctively knew when he had reached his destination and used his free hand to open the left side of the glass double-doors, the front of which bore a dragon-like logo that gave the address and the name of the business; Masters Shotokan.

The door almost closed on his bag behind him as Ryu silently entered the dojo and waited at the entrance. Directly ahead of him, separated by a waist-high wooden wall, was a class of about thirty adolescent students, each dressed in a white, sleeveless gi, each practicing middle punches, alternating hands. Ryu recognized Sean almost immediately, in the front row of the class. Now late teens, he had grown into his uniform, and his abilities. He was now sporting facial hair and as he practiced, Ryu could feel a stronger presence in him, as though Sean had gained full control of his abilities. To Sean's immediate left was another young man, also late teens, but this man was dressed in a red gi reminiscent of Ken's old uniform. Ryu almost felt the snap of each punch the man through; young, but very strong.

And of course, pacing the class with a sternness he had adopted as he approached middle age, was Ken Masters.

Ryu watched his old friend instruct with admiration. The young, reckless youth had been tempered by experience and a number of close calls and had been turned into an extremely capable fighter, one much stronger than the man who had one the US Invitational so many years ago.

Ken, still wearing the same gi now darker from years of combat, held his belt, walking among the class to observe technique as the young man beside Sean ordered them to punch by roaring. Ken would adjust the technique of one of his students, and then move on.

As Ken moved towards the back row, he made eye contact with Ryu for the first time and smiled. Ryu allowed himself a slight smile and bowed to his closest friend. Ken returned the bow and indicated with his thumb over his right shoulder. "Mel, take over."

The young man beside Sean immediately jumped to front of the room and turned to face the class. "Yes, sir!" came his enthusiastic response, "Double-punching, ready…? IIGHT!"

As sounds of cloth snapping was heard, Ken moved quickly up to Ryu and the two struck fists. "Wow, is it really you?" Ken asked in disbelief. "After all this time?"

Ryu nodded, still smiling. "You look good, Ken. Sorry I've been away for so long…"

Ken was already shaking his head. "Hey, don't worry about it! You're here _now,_ that's what counts, right? You up for a match?"

Ryu's smile faded. Ken always had to put on a show. "Ken, I—"

Ken was already heading back to the class. "Class, _atten-TION!_"

In sync, the entire class stopped punching and slapped their hands to their side, rigidly straight as they stood at attention. As Ken turned to address them, Ryu regrettably recognized the devil-may-care look in his face. _Not again…_

"Class," Ken started, the excitement clear in his voice, "Take a seat."

As the class moved to sit in the Indian style position, they formed a makeshift ring around the room as Ken looked to Ryu—who was silently pleading with him not to do this.

_You've been getting me into trouble since we were children._

Ken now stood at the center of the room. "How about it?" He asked, challenging. "How far have you come?"

For a second, Ryu was silent, holding eye contact with Ken. Ryu shook his head. The man would never change. His bag hit the floor behind him. "Far enough." He said.

Ryu made his way to the center of the floor on the left hand side with all eyes on him. Ken extended his fist again, and Ryu accepted, striking.

Ryu barely had a chance to get set when Ken leapt from his back foot and went airborne. He spun once in mid air, shooting his leg out towards Ryu's head. Ryu stepped to the right to avoid it and wound up behind Ken, who didn't miss a beat as he hit the ground. First came the left foot, stabbing in a back kick, and Ryu blocked his midsection with both arms. Ken pivoted, throwing a right roundhouse at Ryu's head. Ken's instep met Ryu's forearm, and Ryu seized the moment. Stepping in with a reverse punch, Ken saw it coming enough to avoid the full impact but was caught in the upper left chest. Ken recovered immediately, landing a backfist strike to Ryu's open ribs. Ryu shuddered a bit; Ken still had all his hitting power. The two paused, Ken looked at Ryu and smiled. With his fists raised, Ryu waited for the next move.

He didn't wait long. Ken came with another lunging left roundhouse that Ryu blocked and followed through with a leaping turnback kick that Ryu was able to block, but not without getting knocked off his feet a little. Ken stayed airborne and even as Ryu felt the winds kick up, he knew Ken's next move.

Throwing an endless succession of roundhouse kicks to wheelkicks, Ken stayed in the air for at least five seconds and hurled seven kicks towards Ryu, who crouched to avoid the storm, letting Ken pass over him. As he landed, Ryu moved in, dashing with his right elbow to strike twice in Ken's midsection. But again, Ken recovered quickly and was almost immediately airborne. Ryu felt the burn in his chest as Ken's fist dug in, hitting him once, twice, three times, the final blow to Ryu's chin, his entire body felt like it was on fire as Ken rose into the air, having executed the technique that made him famous.

Ryu had been sent rolling, and as the wind had been knocked from him had begun summoning the energy. As he got to his feet, the familiar blue energy began to materialize itself, and Ryu focused, watching Ken begin his descent, focused the energy into heat. By the time Ken next looked to Ryu it was too late. Ryu took the energy he had been gathering and rocketed into a front stance, expelling the red energy at his rival. Ken was caught square, and as his face contorted in shock and pain, he fell to the ground. He took a breath and immediately rebounded. Still holding a stance, he looked across the room to Ryu. "Far enough?"

Ryu nodded, lowering his hands. "Far enough."

Ken chuckled, approaching his old friend. The two hit fists again and Ken looked to his awestruck son. "Mel, finish them off."

Mel, along with everyone else in the class, watched them with their jaws on the floor. Ken leaned in. "Mel?"

"Huh? Oh. Yes. Yes_sir!_"

Mel scrambled to his feet, bringing the class up with him. As Mel headed up to the center of the class, Ken quickly put his arm around him and turned him around to keep what was said silent. "Oh, and uh, Mel? Let's just keep this between us. Your mother doesn't have to know about this, you know?"

Mel looked to his father. "Dad, she promised me a new car if I told her about your fighting again…"

"There's a hundred grand in it for you if you keep your mouth shut."

Mel's eyes lit up. "Sir, yes _SIR!!!"_

With that, Mel raced to the front of the class as Ken moved to stand beside Ryu, wiping his brow. "You've been practicing."

"Ken, we need to talk."

"What's going on? I heard about your match with Sagat—"

"Sagat's dead."

Ken immediately grew somber, looking to Ryu.

"Ryu…did you…?"

Ryu shook his head.

"No. No…I've got it under control now."

Ken nodded.

"That's good. Then who…?"

"Interpol has a full-fledged global alert for him. He's come back, Ken."

The color drained from Ken's face.

"You mean---?"

"Yes."

Ken exhaled, not knowing what to say. Ryu continued.

"It gets worse."

"What do you mean?"

"Chun-Li…is leading the hunt to bring him down."

Ken nearly gasped, but the look in Ryu's eyes said everything. Ken had never encountered the man one-on-one, but Ryu had, and in doing so, purged himself of his anger. It had nearly cost him his life. Chun Li wouldn't have a chance. Hell, he doubted _they_ would, but they had to try.

"Ken, we have to."

Ken nodded. He saw his whole life flashing before his eyes.

"I know. I…."

He looked to Ryu.

"I'll get my things."


	2. Chapter 2

In the basement of the Shanghai branch of Interpol, Chief Inspector Chun Li was finishing out her day in the gym.

With more open palms than fists, as her father taught, she vented her frustrations on the unfortunate heavy bag that swayed with each blow, threatening to rip its way free of the ceiling. It would be the third one this month.

Exhaling with each technique, she threw sequential jab, reverse, leaning-palm, slap, turning elbow, each impact rocking the bag loud enough so she could be heard at least three floors up. Wheelkick, roundhouse…the technique was taking over. She threw a high back kick she had used as an air deterrent back in the World Warrior tournament. She felt the familiar energy building inside her, the muscles in her legs tensed and her heart raced….

_No. Not here._

She took a deep breath, relaxing. _Save it for the fight._

Chun Li had not fought seriously since rescuing her orphans from the Illuminati, now nearly ten years ago. So when her commanding officer handed off her new assignment, her knees buckled.

No one had seen or heard anything of him for almost a decade. It was presumed—_hoped_—he was dead.

Apparently Ryu had not finished him off. _Good for you…_

On the other side of that coin, he was now everyone's problem.

Chun Li closed her eyes, lowering her head, trying to focus. "How long have you been standing there?" She asked.

"Long enough to see you restrain yourself." Came the light, female voice, thick with a British accent. Chun Li smiled and looked to the doorway; the years had been kind to Agent Cammy. Though nearly fifteen years had passed since the girl escaped from Shadaloo's clutches, she didn't look a day over thirty. A strong exercise routine contributed to her physique, and she still kept her long hair down. The only signs of age were in her eyes.

Before the crisis, Chun Li hadn't seen Cammy since the last World Warrior tournament. Now, they started and finished every day together, unassigned partners who may have been the only two people who knew what they were after.

As Cammy approached, Chun Li pivoted to face her, unable to unclench her fists. She still had a lot more to give. Cammy smiled.

"Tell you what." She smiled. "There's no one else in the building, and we're too highly ranked for anyone to complain."

Chun Li chuckled as Cammy unzipped the top two buttons of her tan jacket. Tugging on the left side, she pulled it off and threw it aside. "Come on." She invited.

Chun Li immediately lunged in hard with a reverse palm. Cammy anticipated it, parrying the strike and spinning. Chun Li stepped back as Cammy drove her elbow, then the back of her fist into Chun Li's crossed arms. Cammy pressed, going low into a spin as she stretched her legs out before her. Chun Li saw it in the nick of time and leapt, letting Cammy's spiral arrow pass under.

As Chun Li landed, she felt the energy quickly build again and focused it into her arms this time, shooting them forward towards Cammy's back. Blue energy radiated through her arms, shooting through the palms of her hands as Chun Li fired off the move she had learned in the time she had spent with Ryu…

Cammy turned in time to see it coming, her eyes widening in surprise. She threw herself to the floor as the Kikoken shot past her, blowing out the wall where she once was. Covering her head protectively, Cammy warily looked to her old friend. "We a bit pent up?" She asked.

Chun Li lowered her hands, looking to the wall. Cammy looked to the damage and smiled to Chun Li. "Oh, I wouldn't bother with that; the gym was ripe for an expansion anyway."

Chun Li almost involuntarily chuckled as Cammy stood up. The Chief Inspector shook her head. "I'm sorry…"

Cammy was already shaking her head. "You've a lot on your plate. You still move well for an old lady."

Chun Li's eyes widened and she smiled, playfully pushing Cammy on the shoulder. "_Old?!_"

For just a second, the two enjoyed a peaceful moment. But the question was all over Chun Li's face. Cammy slowly, regretfully shook her head. "No sign, Li."

Chun Li cursed under her breath.

Cammy leaned in, trying to be reassuring. "Well, there's good news with that…"

"What?"

"We think he's in the United States."

Chun Li frowned. "Why?"  
Cammy held her breath. "Because Ken's disappeared too."

Chun Li's eyes widened. _"What?!"_

Cammy held up a hand, trying to calm Chun Li down. "I'm pretty sure they're both alive, Li. Ken left control of the school to his son and went off the map."

Chun Li was trying to find the bright side.

"I think Ryu found him," Cammy continued, "and they're going after him together."

Chun Li had no idea what to think. Ryu had taken the man down once on his own, but that was over a decade ago…dammit, would _anything _be enough?

Cammy must've read Chun Li's face. "Look, we may have every agent in the world looking for him, but can you think of any two people more qualified to take him on if they find him?"

Chun Li nodded. "What if he finds them first?"

Cammy didn't know what to say. For a second, they were silent.

Simultaneously, both Chun Li and Cammy's phone went off audibly on their belts. They both pulled them, checked the ID….and looked to each other knowingly. Each phone bore the same identification, and Chun Li motioned for Cammy to turn her phone off as she answered her own. "Li."

Her commanding officer was on the other end. Chun Li nodded, looking to Cammy. "Yes, sir, she's right here with me."

Cammy watched Chun Li nod, watched her grow somber, before Chun Li acknowledged that she understood before flipping her phone closed and re-attaching it to her belt. "We have to move." She said, heading for the front door. Cammy quickly followed. "What's going on?"

"They found another body."

Cammy exhaled. "Another Shadaloo connection?"

Chun Li shook her head.

"No. The bear wrestler…."

Cammy frowned as she remembered him from the tournament.

"They found what's left of him in Siberia."


	3. Requiem

Costa Tropical, Spain

Before a small, yet roaring fire he sat propped up in an old wooden chair that was a far cry from the throne of his old castle. In fact, _everything_ about his new residence was a fry cry from his familiar holdings.

He hadn't known what to expect upon surrendering himself to Interpol's custody. He suspected that this little one-bedroom hovel was Chun-Li's private reprimand for deeds committed long ago; a small price to pay to go on living. Despite former animosities, she had kept her word; "Alive. Not comfortable, but alive."

Luckily, he had maintained some of his underworld connections who had managed to smuggle a bottle of _La Vendimia _to him. And so he sat, before this pitiful fire, eyes closed, and glass held to his nose, hoping to savor some of his former glory.

_Ahh, yes._

The wine was aged ten years, so dry, so potent, so…

_Beautiful._

_Disgusting._

Vega contemptuously let the fragile glass fall from his hands, shattering on the hardwood floor below. Like all things he once found precious and beautiful, the wine now seemed so trivial.

Such was the way of things. Your priorities always changed when you realized that you were going to die.

Resting his chin on his knuckles, the aging bullfighter closed his eyes and lost himself in the fire and his memories. He had long since stopped asking how it had come to this. When his former colleague Sagat, and then Zangief fell, he knew it was only a matter of time.

Almost subconsciously, he right hand drifted to the simple wooden table to his right, his fingers running over the light iron mask and wrist-affixed claw that had been his signature, in his prime. He remembered the better days; cornering his prey before an audience that paid hundreds of dollars to see him work. He remembered the heavy iron fence that slammed down, protecting the audience from the ensuing mayhem and cornering his opponent at the same time. The audience would gasp as he leapt several feet into the air, descending on his hapless foe like a hawk. The men envied, feared, and admired him, but the women—oh, the_women_—the women _wanted_ him, and would do anything to be with him.

He suddenly wondered if he had sired any offspring in his youth. It was a shame he would never know them.

His fearsome reputation had earned him the attention of Shadaloo, and that lunatic M. Bison. Vega could've cared less for the man or his principles—he could never follow something as base and _ugly_ as psycho power—but he sold his soul for the money. And he gladly dismembered anyone who fell into his den. It all went so well until the day he confronted Ken Masters…

Once, he had vowed revenge against the man who had so decisively beaten him. Now, he had to admire his tenacity. Vega had hit him with everything he had, but each attack he successfully landed on the _rich boy_ had only furthered his resolve. In desperation, with the crowd wavering, Vega had unleashed his final resort; he leapt to the fence, hoping to divebomb the young warrior and open him up with a wide slash. Ken had other plans; as Vega came for him, Ken merely crouched. Vega initially thought that Ken was trying to soften what was coming; instead, at the last minute, Ken had unleashed…what was that move again…oh, yes…the fabled Dragon Punch. The one he remembered "made you feel like dying."

Indeed it had. Ken had hit him with such force that Vega was surprised that his neck wasn't broken. Not only that, but Ken's fist felt as though it was on fire, and Vega flopped to the ground like a dying fish, his entire body feeling ablaze.

Perhaps if he hadn't fallen into depression after that, he might've been better prepared for Chun Li. Unlike Ken, Chun Li had come _looking_ for him; vengeance for a contract he executed under M. Bison's orders. He didn't even remember the man's name…but he never forgot the_Tenshou Kyaku_ that had taken him down. Vega had allowed himself to fade into obscurity after that…

_Amazing,_ he thought, _that was my entire life…_

A shudder went through the room. It was followed by a hot wind that blew through him, around him. And he was no longer alone.

He smiled.

"May I prepare?" He asked, without opening his eyes.

There was no reaction.

Gently, as a man with a gun to his head would react, Vega affixed his claw to his right hand and felt a familiar surge of power race through him. He then placed his mask over his face and felt the Hunter's presence within him again; this was the final performance of the Spanish Ninja.

He slowly stood, turning to face his opponent.

_Magnificent._

The shroud of death that hung around this man now was fearsome, unmistakable…_beautiful._ What better way to meet his end?

His eyes narrowed, beneath the mask he allowed himself a smile. His opponent merely stood before him, waiting.

And so he spoke his last words; "I'm ready."

And with that, Vega leapt at his adversary, even as he witnessed the hellish aura that signaled his life would soon be over.


	4. Training Begins

Forty feet above the tan, sun-drenched shores of Myrtle Beach, a civilian chopper maintained a steady following over the two men below. It had taken off when they began their run, nearly thirty miles back.

As Ryu ran along the shorefront, he had to admit a comfortable familiarity being dressed in his old, slightly-tattered white gi, and the headband Ken had given him long ago. The air was warm, pleasant, and despite the slight trudging feeling each step gave him, the sand felt good beneath his feet. Learning to appreciate the journey as well as the fight itself was a hard-learned lesson, earned during that first encounter during the monster in his youth.

For just a second, his mind wandered to the day he lost control of his power and left a permanent scar on a man he would later call his friend.

_Stop. It's in the past…_

There was only what lay before him, ahead of him now. And what was ahead of him, by about four feet, was his closest friend, who was exhibiting an eagerness Ryu hadn't seen in years.

Ken was running with the exuberance of a man half his age and Ryu had to wonder if his friend would ever change. It was almost as if Ken was looking forward to the encounter…

The wind shifted. Ken stopped suddenly.

Ryu almost slid to a halt, taking a defensive back-stance with his hands raised protectively. This time, Ken didn't even turn around. Arms outstretched, he flew in a high backflip, swinging his right foot downward towards Ryu's head. Ryu dashed backwards to avoid the blow, and Ken kicked up sand in his wake. Ryu lunged forward with a long jab, attempting to catch Ken in the spine, but they knew each other's habits too well; Ken turned, parrying the hand away. He kept spinning, going for a high hook punch. His eye glimmered, he grinned, and Ryu was relieved to see that Ken was enjoying every moment of this.

Ryu blocked the hook, and Ken, true to form, followed up with a high roundhouse. Ryu crouched beneath the leg as it rose, extended his own, and swept Ken's standing leg cleanly out from under him. Ken showed no reaction as he hit the ground squarely on his back, braced himself on his hands, and sprung back to his feet. Ryu was coming in when Ken sprung backwards, keeping his leg straight, and Ryu nearly walked right into Ken's flip kick attack. _Wonder if he picked that up from the American pilot…_

Ken recovered quickly and Ryu pressed the advantage. He came at him with a sequential jab, reverse, wheelkick combination. Ken blocked all three moves, but the wheelkick knocked him off his feet and sent him rolling away from the ocean. As Ken rolled, Ryu took to the air, drawing energy from the water into his fist. Ken looked up just in time to see Ryu descending on him like a blue meteor, and tumbled backwards as Ryu exploded into the ground, fist striking and leaving a small crater.

When the sand cleared, Ryu looked up and barely caught the heel of Ken's right foot in his peripheral vision before it connected cleanly with his jaw. There was no recovering; the kick was followed through with a spinning roundhouse, and then another spinning wheelkick. _He got faster…_

Anticipating the next roundhouse kick, Ryu caught it on his shoulder. Ken was caught completely by surprise as he dropped suddenly to the ground, but swung his free left leg towards Ryu's face. The sudden motion surprised Ryu, who dropped Ken's leg, retreating. As Ken bound to his feet, he felt burning hands strike his chest and the wind forced from his body. As he fell, he registered Ryu, before him, in a familiar front stance, his arms outstretched.

Ken fell back onto his hands and despite the pain, bound himself back to his feet. He was charging in when he noticed Ryu in an unfamiliar stance; open hands instead of closed fists, his forearms shimmering with life energy.

_Yeah, I can do that too…_

It was heat that swelled through Ken's body, and he focused it into his right arm. By the time he was within striking distance he was dragging a trail of sand in his wake. He brought the fist up, aiming first for Ryu's chest, then his chin…

Ryu suddenly snatched the fist and before Ken could do anything, he found himself heaved over Ryu's shoulder. There was no rebounding this time, and Ken slid through the sand face-first. He rolled onto his back in time to see Ryu rushing him, and when Ken swung his leg again, Ryu caught it, raised his fist to strike.

Ken quickly put his fist into his hand at his chest and bowed, indicating his surrender. Looking to Ryu, he chuckled. Ryu smiled, lowering Ken's leg and offering him a hand. Ken took it and got to his feet. Ken looked to the chopper above him and made a circular motion with his hand. The chopper soared overhead and landed a few feet away. As the two approached, Ken looked back to Ryu. "Where'd you learn that?"

"What?"

Ken mimicked the stance he saw Ryu take. "That stance. I've never seen anyone hold ki like that before."

Ken opened the passenger door and reached into the cooler inside. Taking two bottles of water, he tossed one to Ryu, who smiled gently. "Dhalsim could do a lot more than stretch and blow fire." He nodded as he remembered. "He was good enough to teach me to manage the energy after the whole Shadaloo thing."

Ken chuckled. "Yeah, I remember being across the room from him and getting clocked by a heel fifteen feet away. He offered to show me, but the whole plastic-man routine just isn't for me, you know?"

Ryu grinned widely, always enjoying Ken's sense of humor. He took a drink as he gazed out upon the endless, sparkling blue of the Atlantic Ocean. Ken's next words surprised him.

"We don't have a chance in hell, do we?"

Ryu looked back to Ken, dumbfounded. "What makes you say that?"

Ken chuckled sardonically, tipping the bottle to his head in acknowledgement to Ryu. "Well, maybe _you_ do." Ken shook his head. "But me…"

Ryu took a couple of steps towards his friend, and Ken raised a hand to ward him off. "Look, just…_don't_, okay?"

Ryu was confused.

"What's wrong?"

When Ken next looked to him, Ryu did not see the youth he had trained with. He saw a concerned man. "Why did you come lookin' for me?"

"Ken…we beat Bison together. I couldn't have done it by myself and neither could you."

Ken slammed the bottle against the floor of the chopper. "Yeah, but that was _then_, and this is _now_. And I gotta remind you that we barely got through that with our lives."  
"But we got through it."

"It's always so cut and dry with you, isn't it? There's just the fight and that's it. Ryu, I have a _family_ now. You ever think about them? I can't just up and do this kind of thing anymore."

Ryu took a deep breath, recognizing Ken's anger for what it was. "I thought about your family when I came looking for you."

He moved to sit beside Ken, his eyes still drawn to the water. "I thought about Mel. You know, I hadn't seen him since he was ten?"

He looked to Ken. "He's very strong. You're doing a good job with him."

Ken looked to Ryu, anger aside. "Ryu, Bison was one thing. This is something else and you know it. Maybe you're still up for this kind of thing…but you keep getting better. I don't."

Ryu scowled. "What? Yes you do!"

"No, Ryu. I keep discovering new techniques, but you find ways to fight better. That has always been the difference between us."

For a second, there was silence and an invisible gulf between the two as wide as the ocean. A breeze blew over them. "Ken," Ryu said cautiously, "I'm afraid too."

Ken closed his eyes, looking downward. Ryu continued.

"He came for Sagat, Zangief, and Vega. What if he had come for Eliza, Sean, and Mel? What if you hadn't been ready for him?"

Ken looked to Ryu and smiled. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"What? I thought you knew. Everyone has to watch 'The Karate Kid' before being awarded their black belt."

"No, it's 'Bloodsport' now."

They both enjoyed the laugh. Ken extended his fist, and Ryu struck it.

Ken hopped down to the sand and patted the chopper. "You can take off, Mike. Stay close."

The pilot looked back and nodded. "Yes, sir."

As the blades picked up speed, Ken looked back to Ryu. "We better get back to it. Try and keep up this time."

Ryu gestured. "By all means, lead the way."

Ken smiled in the familiar manner, and the two were soon on their way again, for a brief moment, oblivious to the shadow looming ever closer to them.


End file.
